Love Rejoices In Truth

The following is taken from Arthur’s notes accompanying his talk from Sunday 11 February.

Preachers are often guilty of not speaking about current affairs. Somehow our preaching is separate from what is going on in our talking and thinking.

Tonight, I want to speak about something that is very much in the headlines – the new Gay Marriage legislation currently going through Parliament.

Now for the parameters within which I am speaking – the views that I express are entirely my own, not those of the Church of England, nor of St. Luke’s Church.

Sometimes when we begin to talk about such a sensitive hot potato and especially if you disagree, you get called ‘bigot’ or homophobic.

I want to be very careful and I know that I may cause so much upset and hurt by using wrong or poor language to express my views. I realise that there will probably certainly be some people with gay orientation in the church tonight. I have some good friends who are gay, it’s just the way they are.

There may be gay members of your family. We can as Christians, at times, be quite opinionated and extremely insensitive until suddenly, it comes close to us and then we see it differently.

So I want to try perhaps the impossible, I want to be candid but sensitive, I want to be as clear as I can be but be open to challenge. I want anyone who takes objection or who maybe hurt, to please tell me and we can share our differences in a quiet and loving way.

The central question in the gay marriage debate, is not about homosexuality, but rather about marriage.